Hiril nín
by Cruxifixus
Summary: For the longest of years, Legolas has stood in his fathers shadow, but now; a legend of whirlwind romance and bitter pain will change his world.
1. Welcome!

Hiril nín 

For the longest of years, Legolas has stood in his fathers shadow, but now, a legend of whirlwind romance and bitter pain will turn everyone's favourite elf on his head.

Disclaimer:  I do not own Lord of the Rings; I just play with the toys. All chew marks will be removed before returning them. My Lord, the genius Tolkien owns all.

Author's notes:

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen. I wish to say a few words about my fiction before we begin. Behind this very crimson curtain of my mind lie the truly deepest depths of the human imagination. Although this story may not keep to the fantastic wanderings of your own minds or genius of Lord Tolkien; humour one and all in allowing me to engage in the recreation of my writing.  

It is worth bearing in mind that many fan fiction stories are written in an AU, allow others the benefit of the doubt when reading other's work. Ultimately, if you don't like a story; DON'T READ IT!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls; welcome to my latest literary offering.

Onwards and ever onwards………  
  
  



	2. Lothlorien

The journey to Lorien and back to the 10-year council would take the longer part of four weeks, it had seemed a lot longer to Legolas as a child when he would journey through the western woods with his father Thranduil, King of Mirkwood. It was this position that he took up once more, his stallion Arod trotting obediently at the prince's will. The clearing the party had entered was suddenly filled with a brilliant, almost iridescent light burst.

"Lothlorien" Legolas breathed as the gleaming light seemed to fill him absolutely.

The younger elf had not visited the Elven retreat for many years; it was simply a relic of his past. Legolas had last passed through this woodland as a warrior, one ninth of the fellowship. Since Legolas had returned to Mirkwood after the war, Thranduil had noticed a definite change in his son. He had become terribly sombre, but still able to find joy in every circumstance. Thranduil knew that this touch of kindness that kept others sane was the strongest quality he had inherited from his mother. The King sighed deeply, it would normally have been Telparian at his side during journeys such as this; that however, would no longer happen.  

"Father?" Legolas had ridden close to Thranduil, catching the sad yet fond memory gracing his features. He could clearly see the strain of grief in his father's eyes; Legolas was sure he knew the reason for the kings lament; he would not ask.

Before Thranduil could answer, Legolas became aware movement up ahead of their party, deep inside the undergrowth. The royal assembly had taken an offensive position; weapons ready to strike. This however, proved unnecessary when an elf presented himself; dressed in the colours of Lothlorien.

"Mae Govannen, King Thranduil, I am Haldir; March Warden of Lorien and we are at your service." He placed his hand over his heart and swept it outward in the traditional gesture of respect, bowing to the King of Mirkwood.

"We?"  Legolas questioned to himself under his own breath. No sooner had he done so when he saw two other elves emerge from the foliage of green around them as if they had interpreted the prince's words as a call to action.

Arod shifted nervously beneath the prince, unsure of the March Warden's intentions. The tossing of the stallions' head drew Haldir attention, the elf made his way towards the prince.

"Ah my fair friend" Haldir addressed Arod calmly; running a hand carefully over the flowing sliver mane "It seems you do not remember me".

At this, the beast snorted lightly at Haldir's touch, all anxiety flowing effortlessly from the creature. The Warden's gaze shifted to Legolas' face; a smile gently creasing his features as an inclination of the head signified his greeting to the younger elf.

"My Lord" Haldir's slight smile spread to a grin as Legolas dismounted from Arod, the beast hardly moving as he did so.

"My friend" Legolas proclaimed as the two elves embraced in friendship "It is good to see you again"

The prince pulled away from the embrace, still holding Haldir's shoulders at arms length. He surveyed the braiding through his hair, Haldir was always meticulous and through when it came to warrior braiding. The warden still held that same expression of proudness, Legolas wondered if he was ever without it.

"You haven't aged a day my friend" Legolas concluded, his gaze flickering back to Haldir.

"Did you expect me to?" Haldir questioned in jest; catching the look of realisation on the prince's face. 

Breaking away from the prince, Haldir turned to address the rest of the assembled party. His eyes taking the six other mounted elves; all bedecked in colours of the House of Oropher.

"Come friends, My Lord awaits us," Haldir proclaimed to the assembled as bowing once again to the king. 

Shadows cast bland darkness over parts of the forest; each leaf a different shade in the dewy sunlight. The crystalline shade of blue that seemed to wash the sky above them all was punctuated occasionally with a light, curving wisp of ivory cloud. A slight breeze rippled through the towering treetops, a faint rustle emanating from the surrounding woodland. The group soon reached the atrium of Lothlorien, the sheen of the iridescent light intensified with every step. It was at this moment Haldir placed out, signalling to the party to hold. Descending the adjacent stairs was Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien.  Stepping forward, the March Warden bowed deeply and turned to present the visiting Mirkwood Party. Celeborn however cast a glance around the party, his gaze fixing itself on Thranduil.

"My Lord" Celeborn grinned, covering the distance between them in moments and taking Thranduil's hand in his "It has been a long time" 

"It has indeed," Thranduil agreed, allowing his hand to be shaken "May I introduce my son" the king gestured to the left where the prince stood.

Legolas was a little apprehensive and was unsure of what to say. The only communication he had during his last visit was through Lady Galadriel; he had not approached Lord Celeborn at all. He took a tentative step forward and remembering the training he had received in etiquette and deportment as a child; Legolas bowed briefly and swept his outward from his heart.

"Ah Legolas, it seems an age since you have graced our kingdom with your presence" Celeborn greeted Legolas as he had his father, taking the princes hand firmly in his.

"It has been too long my lord" Legolas smiled as Celeborn released his hand and took a step back towards Thranduil. Legolas was convinced he had heard his father whisper 'well done', this put the prince at ease once more.

Celeborn had turned to welcome of the other members of Thranduil's party before moving back to Haldir; speaking noiselessly to the warden. The Lothlorien lord then turned to ascend the stairs once more before pausing and turning back to the warrior's party.

"Thranduil, would you come with me? I have something that you may wish to see" Fulfilling Celeborn's words, Thranduil made towards the stairs. Together they climbed the spiral structure until both were out of sight.  

After dozens of other introductions to Lords from realms Legolas was sure he had never even heard of let alone visited; the Mirkwood prince chose to take refuge among the trees of Lothlorien. A further examination of the woodland proved to find something of interest. At intervals of twenty feet in various tree's hung carved wooden targets; each meticulously painted in a different colour.  Legolas assumed that the targets must be supplied for the benefit of the Lorien novices as each circle was pierced with many arrow impact points along the flat surface. Legolas knew of the Lorien warrior's reputation, they were certainly not a force to be trifled with. Although he had never fought along side Lorien in battle, he had however heard of the skill and agility of Celeborn's' captains. Especially one in particular who was referred to as 'Angoleth', who had reportedly laid down her life in order to retrieve the body of a fellow warrior who had been slain at the hands of the Uruk Hai. Pondering his own worth, Legolas pulled an arrow from the quiver strapped to his body.

 Examining the flyte, Legolas lifted the bow from his shoulder and loaded the thin strip of wood onto the tightly wound length of Elven hair that strung the bow. Taking careful aim, the arrow took flight and landed with a soft clunk in the centre of the nearest target. Emboldened by his success, Legolas repeat this exercise till all visible targets were impaled upon a short length of dark oak. Reaching behind him, Legolas released he only had one arrow remaining and having just spotted a target 90 feet away; he decided this to be another test of ability. Loading the bow, the prince took a deep breath and steadied his grip as his gaze fell once upon the target taunting him from amongst the trees. Suddenly the arrow slipped from his grasp and was sent soaring through the air, missing the target by inches. Cursing himself for missing a novice standard range, Legolas felt he should find the arrow in case it had come into contact with a living creature. Passing the targets he had already used; Legolas pulled each arrow from the wood, eyes always searching for the missing item.  After almost thirty minutes of searching Legolas was losing hope and beginning to think that the arrow had made its way into the eastern part of the woods. Carefully stepping through the soft carpet of honeysuckle, Legolas began to gently push aside the knee-high plants at his feet.

"You'll not find it there" a low, feminine voice echoed from the foliage; the sound met Legolas ears causing him to cast his gaze into the broken shade of the trees.

The voice belonged to a She-elf, perched high amongst twisted branches and flowing leaves. She had a length of long, rich brown hair, which was partially braded to the back of her head.

"Then pray tell where it can be found," Legolas gestured vaguely around the woods; his tone as subtle hers.

Legolas held his steady gaze above him; fixated upon the beauty before him who was now wearing a sly grin. She allowed herself to fall forward from the tree; the leaf litter below barely disturbed as her feet joined the forest floor once again. The elf landed easily in front of him, straightening slightly as she did so.

"Agreeably done," he commented, meeting her eyes once more as she indicated him to follow.

Legolas cast a glance towards her, the soft definition of features revealing nothing. It was only now that he noticed the ornate pattern adorning her quiver and bow. The twisting outline translated into the warrior's design; the Lorien warriors at that. Her manner of dress befitted a Lorien warrior, a tunic and leggings of forest green, a cloak of grey marl at her shoulders and the intricate weaving through her braids that signified the house of the Galadhrim. 

 "I feel as if I know you, _hiril nin" _Legolas presumed, walking slowly beside his new companion. 

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he realised how foolish they must have sounded. Foolish or not, his words made her stop and turn to face him.

"Please" she began, the look upon her face steeled yet friendly "I am no-ones lady".

Legolas had never seen such a face, perhaps, only once before. He regarded the elves beauty to stand on par with the fluid essence of his mother's sprit. It was now that the prince noticed that his fellow elf did not have a definition in colour of her eyes. The hue seemed to flow effortlessly from a deep ravaging blue to crystalline green; this was indeed a strange creature.

Their conversation continued fitfully until the she-elf put an arm out to stop him in his tracks, her eyes darting around the clearing. Slowly turning, she placed a finger to her lips signalling that Legolas was not to make a sound. Without a breath, the she-elf of such masterful composure pulled an arrow silently from her quiver. The tip had found the braided string of the warrior bow she carried; deep etchings upon the shaft suggested that this was a weapon of importance. Taking the tension of the taught string, she steadied her grip and waited for another movement. It was fortunate she had done this as a spilt second before she let the arrow fly; a familiar figure emerged from the sea of green.

It was Haldir.

She was breathing deeply now, a stern gaze directed at the March Warden.

"Haldir, must you do that!" the she-elf demanded, lowering her bow.

"I am sorry" Haldir began "But I believe this is a Mirkwood arrow" His voice trailed off as he held up the weapon, his gaze flicking towards Legolas.

 It was the missing arrow. 

"It came into very close proximity to my head" Legolas wore an expression of both regret and apology for Haldir that made the she-elf laugh.

"Angoleth" Haldir began, addressing the she-elf "I was sent to find you, there has been a slight incident with the novices"

"Slight incident?" her face was indifferent to this news; one thing her warrior training had taught her.

Haldir's expression looked somewhat amused, the corners of his mouth creasing into a slight grin "A fight"

Angoleth sighed deeply, this was obviously not the first time an argument had turned sour between the novices; she was sure she could pinpoint the guilty parties before she reached the training ground.

"I must take my leave" she nodded politely to both Legolas and Haldir as she began her path back to the main grounds.

Both Elves watched Angoleth from sight before Legolas turned back towards Haldir, a slightly perplexed expression creasing his features.

"That was Angoleth?" Haldir merely nodded " The captain of the Lorien army?"  Legolas was now driven on by curiosity; he needed his questions answered.

"The very same" the Warden was grinning now, amused at the Mirkwood prince's surprise "Come Legolas, your father will wonder where you are".

With this, Haldir led Legolas back through the paths until the iridescent sliver light filled their vision again. Following silently, Legolas was led through the spiralling staircase and up into a brightly lit chamber. The corridor was a dazzling pearly white; many doors lead from where Legolas stood. Haldir had led him to the end of the passageway, stopping in front of a large oak door embossed with sliver. The Warden knocked before hearing an invitation to enter. It was a large, spacious room; filled with many lines of bookshelves; a heavy wooden desk sat in a far corner. 

"My Lords" Haldir had turned to the occupants of the room, Lord Celeborn and King Thranduil.

"Thank you for bringing Legolas" Celeborn motioned towards Haldir who nodded and retreated from the room.

"Welcome Legolas, please take a seat" Celeborn gestured towards a vacant chair next to his father, his back towards the door.

The conversation between Celeborn and his father continued, however, Legolas found his gaze wandering back to the she-elf he had encountered in the forest. There was something about that chance meeting that seemed to set his' heart ablaze. He had been unwittingly staring into space, his hands slowly winding around themselves in a vacant manner. A sharp knock at the door brought Legolas back to reality. A soft click indicated the door being pushed open and figure entering.

"May I present my daughter" Celeborn announced proudly, gesturing towards the doorway behind where they sat.

Both father and son stood in a mark of respect to greet the Lorien lord's descendant. The sight that met the prince's eyes almost knocked him back with the command of a thunder crack.

"Egray Angoleth" It was the She-elf from the forest.

"My Lords" she greeted father and son with a slight incline of the head, sweeping her hand outwards from her heart in the traditional gesture of respect Haldir had also given the royal pairing. The smile fixed upon her face gave no hint of the deception Legolas believed himself to be under.

"My lady" he realised his mistake as soon as he spoke; Egray however; said nothing.

Celeborn caught the glances of recognition that flitted briefly across the faces of both young elves before him, allowing a slight grin to grace his own. Turning his attention back to Thranduil, Celeborn cleared his throat and began to explain.

"I do not believe you have ever met my daughter Legolas" Celeborn started, addressing both father and son in turn "Egray was the sole captain of our army during the war of the ring, she led our armed force through Mordor and back". Celeborn halted his explanation to cast a subtle yet proud gaze to his daughter before continuing. "During the aftermath of that particular tragedy; Egray over saw the re-building and re-completion of our army".  During this explanation, Egray had taken a place by the desk, leafing though a book of training techniques.

"There were high casualties; needlessly elevated loss of life" Egray's voice was soft as if she were afraid her words would raise the ghosts of those warriors who had died in the charge of Mount Doom "Any battle is an invitation of death".

Thranduil listened quietly, he himself had stood on the face of Mount Doom amongst those of the last alliance over 3000 years previously; he knew cost of war all too well.

"But when you consider how many of the Uruk Hai where lost" Pride still dancing through Celeborn as he spoke "Our losses seem almost insignificant".

Across the room, Egray found her temper rising. How dare he say such a thing! A life was a life; if it is not yours then you were not to care. The anger built inside her caused the book to hit the table with more force then was intended. She strode the length of the room, contempt bubbling through her veins.

"Really father? How many innocent lives are there in an insignificant?" Irritation over her father's words was apparent in her voice. This drew a worried glance from Legolas who reached to place a steady hand upon Egray's shoulder but thought better of it. 

Egray knew she was wrong to snap at her father, especially in the company of respected royalty. She took a slow, deep breath before continuing. 

"My Lords" Egray bowed deeply before turning to leave, hands shaking as she felt the cool door handle press against her palm. With one swift movement, Egray had pulled the door forward and exited through the now vacant gap. The remaining company listened to her footsteps receding down the stone passageway. 

"You must excuse Egray" Celeborn began, raising himself to his feet "A lot of the warriors we lost; she knew them well".

"Tis the price of war" Thranduil replied; he too was standing by his son.

Celeborn gave the Elven King a solemn glance, nodding his head in agreement.

"Aye my friend, that it is". 

Both elder elves turned their attentions toward the prince but Legolas's concentration was now fixed upon the open door Egray had just exited through.

A/N I now have Author Alerts so if you want to keep updated on my story, just go to the grey box below and click on 'Add Author to Author Alerts'. Hope you enjoy my work; R&R if you can. 


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